Coming to VOD today, Friday, March 17:
UNCERTAIN
Directors:
Ewan McNicol and Anna Sandilands
Premiere:
Tribeca 2015
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, CPH:DOX, Seattle, AFI Docs, Tempo Doc
About:
A Southern Gothic study of three residents of a small Texan town.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
New to VOD via Netflix this week:
NOTES ON BLINDNESS
Directors:
Peter Middleton and James Spinney
Premiere:
Sundance 2016
Select Festivals:
Karlovy Vary, Sheffield, Tribeca, Cleveland, Sydney, Melbourne, New Zealand, Jerusalem, San Francisco
About:
An immersive recreation of a man’s experience of losing his sight.
My pre-Sundance profile of the film may be found here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
Coming to VOD via Netflix tomorrow, Friday, March 17:
NALEDI: A BABY ELEPHANT’S TALE
Directors:
Ben Bowie and Geoff Luck
Premiere:
Seattle 2016
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, Hot Springs Doc, Virginia, Fairhope, Wildscreen, Ajyal Youth
About:
A baby elephant’s fight for survival underscores the need to protect the endangered species.
I previously wrote about the film for DOC NYC, saying:
In addition to conducting an ambitious, pioneering census of Africa’s elephant population, Botswana’s Abu Camp provides a refuge for rescued pachyderms until they can be returned to the wild. When Naledi, a one-month-old calf born at the camp, is suddenly orphaned, her very survival depends on the camp’s guardians. The struggle to save the life of the unforgettable Naledi plays out against the larger fight to protect the continent’s endangered giants from extinction.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to theatres tomorrow, Friday, March 17:
PS JERUSALEM
Director:
Danae Elon
Premiere:
Toronto 2015
Select Festivals:
DOC NYC, RIDM, Haifa, Berlin, Toronto Jewish, Biografilm, New Horizons, Melbourne
About:
A chronicle of three years in Jerusalem with the filmmaker’s family uncovers the city’s tensions.
Elon, who grew up in Jerusalem, relocated her Brooklyn-based family back to her homeland following the death of her father, celebrated leftwing intellectual and author Amos Elon. Though recognizing the divisiveness in the country around issues of religion and race, she feels drawn to the city, and, in some ways perhaps, hopes to counter the more extremist views with a more liberal perspective. Adjusting to life in this new country, however, proves to be a challenge, particularly for her husband Philip, a French-Algerian Jew who is forced to confront racism in what’s meant to be a welcoming society. Serving at the same time as both a reflection on fundamental questions at the heart of the state of Israel and a study in family dynamics, Elon’s film is a thought-provoking piece of personal filmmaking.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
New to DVD this week:
GARY NUMAN: ANDROID IN LA LA LAND
Directors:
Steve Read and Rob Alexander
Premiere:
SXSW 2016
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Edinburgh, Melbourne, Helsinki, CIMMFest, East End
About:
A portrait of the legendary British synthpop musician as he relocates to Los Angeles to record a new album.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
CPH:DOX, the popular, eclectic Danish documentary festival, returns tomorrow, Thursday, March 16 for its 14th edition, having skipped its 2016 event as it shifted its dates from November to its new berth in March. More than 170 documentary features will screen at this year’s event, which will wrap on Sunday, March 26, including the highlights below: Continue reading
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to DVD today, Tuesday, March 14:
THE CREEPING GARDEN
Directors:
Tim Grabham and Jasper Sharp
Premiere:
Fantasia 2014
Select Festivals:
Hot Docs, Fantastic Fest, Imagine Science, CPH:DOX, Leeds, Cleveland, New Horizons, Revelation, DOXA
About:
An ode to the wonderfully weird slime mold.
I previously wrote about the doc here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
New Directors/New Films, a program jointly curated by the Museum of Modern Art and the Film Society of Lincoln Center, returns for its 46th edition starting tomorrow, Wednesday, March 15. Running through Sunday, March 26, the event showcases the work of first and second time directors. Of the 30 feature and mid-length film line-up, however, there are only three documentaries and two hybrids:
Two make their NYC premiere after impressive debuts at Sundance: Yance Ford’s STRONG ISLAND (pictured), on the filmmaker’s search for answers into his brother’s murder, winner of a special jury award at Sundance; and Jonathan Olshefski’s QUEST, which follows an African-American family over a decade of change.
Also screening at ND/NF are Yuri Ancarani’s look at the lives of ultra-rich Qatari amateur falconers, THE CHALLENGE (pictured), a special jury prize winner at Locarno last year; Kaori Kinoshita and Alain Della Negra’s hybrid exploration of a New Age church’s retreat, HAPPINESS UNIVERSITY; and Alessandro Comodin’s hybrid inspired by Italian folklore, HAPPY TIMES WILL COME SOON.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Overviews, Recommendations
Coming to NYC’s Stranger Than Fiction series tomorrow, Tuesday, March 14 and to theatres this Wednesday, March 15:
TICKLING GIANTS
Director:
Sara Taksler
Premiere:
Tribeca 2016
Select Festivals:
BFI London, Just for Laughs, Bergen, Vancouver, DocPoint, Glasgow, Big Sky Doc, Stockholm, Salem, Human Rights Watch London and Toronto, Movies That Matter, Cleveland
About:
A heart surgeon-turned-comedian tests the limits of free speech in post-Mubarak Egypt.
Emboldened by the social changes made possible in the Arab Spring, Dr Bassem Youssef began exploring his gift for comedy, first making humorous YouTube videos before being graduated to his own network television show. Al Bernameg – literally translated as The Show – was consciously modeled after Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show, and quickly became a sensation, averaging a massive 30 million viewers at its most popular. Taksler, herself a producer on The Daily Show, follows Youssef as he tries to navigate the thorny realities of satire while facing the scrutiny and, soon enough, the displeasure of the new Egyptian government. Courting controversy and unwilling to kowtow to authority, Al Bernameg begins alienating pro-government fans, as well as cautious network heads, and potentially places Youssef and his staff in danger. Taksler immediately captures Youssef’s appeal, and cleverly makes use of animated sequences to fill in some background and convey the David vs Goliath aspects of Youssef’s efforts.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Recommendations, Releases
Coming to the National Geographic Channel globally tomorrow, Tuesday, March 14:
WATER & POWER: A CALIFORNIA HEIST
Director:
Marina Zenovich
Premiere:
Sundance 2017
Select Festivals:
Washington DC Environmental
About:
An investigation into the long-standing battle that’s being waged for control of the most precious of natural resources.
I profiled the doc before Sundance here.
Filed under Documentary, Film, Film Festivals, Recommendations, Releases, Sundance
what (not) to doc 